Talk:
\n\u201cFrom \u2018the saving moment\u2019 to \u2018the root of all troubles\u2019: Tracing memories of the 12 September 1980 military coup in Turkey\u201d<\/p>\n
by
\nG\u00f6khan \u015eens\u00f6nmez
\nDepartment of Political Science and Public Administration
\nBilkent University
\ngsensonmez@bilkent.edu.tr<\/p>\n
Date and Room Info
\nWednesday, November 12, 2025, 12:30 p.m.
\nA-130 (FEASS Building)<\/p>\n
Abstract<\/p>\n
The 12 September 1980 coup stands as a pivotal rupture in Turkey\u2019s sociopolitical history and has remained a significant part of the country\u2019s memory landscape for over four decades. Since the immediate aftermath of the coup, its legacy has been a subject of debate\u2014whether to be celebrated and learned from, or confronted and condemned. This study focuses on identifying critical junctures in the efforts of political actors to either sustain or subvert the memory of the coup, thereby adding more nuanced layers between its initial glorification as \u201cthe saving moment\u201d and its contemporary framing as \u201cthe root of all troubles.\u201d By doing so, the analysis aims to uncover distinct strategies for engaging with the past employed by various actors, such as politicians and memory activists, and explores what triggers confrontations between competing memory discourses. The work draws on two bodies of primary sources: (1) a corpus of news stories, statements, columns, and interviews from three major newspapers published between 1981 and 2022, and (2) parliamentary minutes from twelve legislative terms between 1983 and 2022.<\/p>\n
Short Bio<\/p>\n
G\u00f6khan \u015eens\u00f6nmez is an Instructor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Bilkent University. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from Bilkent University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Sociology at the University of Virginia. His current research examines shifting discourses in the memory of the 1980 coup alongside a book project on resistance, solidarity, and rebirth narratives in carceral memory in Turkey. His articles have appeared in Turkish Studies and Politics, Religion & Ideology.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Talk: \u201cFrom \u2018the saving moment\u2019 to \u2018the root of all troubles\u2019: Tracing memories of the 12 September 1980 military coup in Turkey\u201d by G\u00f6khan \u015eens\u00f6nmez Department of Political Science and Public Administration Bilkent University gsensonmez@bilkent.edu.tr Date and Room Info Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 12:30 p.m. A-130 (FEASS Building) Abstract The [\u2026] <\/p>\n